Assess conditions as you travel - snow may hide reactive slabs or, more likely, early-season hazards.
While the weekend snowfall favoured the Coquihalla Summit and south, westerly winds have impacted the South Coast Inland equally. Check for wind slabs around roll-overs, ridges, and cross-loaded terrain. Be mindful that winds are shifting more northerly, this could change where wind slabs lurk.
No new avalanches have been observed or reported in the region. Observations are limited at this time of year, if you head into the backcountry consider submitting a MIN report.
Weekend snowfall accumulation ranged from 10-15 cm near the Duffy and upwards of 35 cm around the Coquihalla and south. While the snowfall totals vary around the region, southwest wind has impacted fresh snow equally. This snow mostly covered a crust at upper elevations and moist snow and dirt at treeline and below.
Where the snowpack is growing, a weak drought layer is down 20-50 cm. This layer consists of hard, wind-affected snow in the alpine, surface hoar or facetted snow in sheltered areas, and a crust on solar aspects and low elevations. Below this layer, several other facet-crust interfaces exist in the snowpack.
Terrain features poke through a building snowpack that ranges from 50-100 cm in the alpine and 40-60 cm at treeline. Most solar slopes and below treeline are below the threshold for avalanches.
Sunday night
Cloudy with isolated flurries, trace accumulation and clearing overnight. Light to moderate north wind, treeline low temperatures -20 C, and freezing level valley bottom.
Monday
Sunny and cold with patchy clouds. Light north wind, treeline high temperatures -12 C.
TuesdayCold with a mix of sun and cloud and isolated flurries. Light northeast wind, treeline temperature -16 C.
WednesdayIncoming precipitation and wind, 10-20 mm, strong southwest wind, treeline temperatures rising to -8 C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
